In addition, Shanghai is actively pushing forward direct flights between Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Taipei Songshan Airport. To push the economic and trade exchanges between the two sides, Shanghai encourages and supports Shanghai Pudong Development Bank to set up office in Taipei. Han Zheng also responded to the invitation from Taipei City Government and announced that Shanghai would actively participate in the Taiwan Flower EXPO in Taipei this November.

Shanghai Municipal Government also signed 4 cooperative memorandums with Taipei City Government. Regarding the positive achievements of this “2010 Taipei-Shanghai City Forum,” journalist of Voice of the Straits interviewed Director Yan Anlin of Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macao Studies, SIIS.

Q: What is the meaning of the two-way exchange between RMB and NTD?

Q: What do you think of the “big deal” in economy and trade?

A: As far as I know, Shanghai did not arrange Han Zheng’s visit to Taiwan as a purchasing trip in the very begining. But in fact, from the perspective of back-stage communication, especially back-stage economic and trade communication, purchasing turned out to be an economic need to both sides.

Q: What do you think of the important meanings of interactions between Shanghai and Taipei?

A: Shanghai plays a vital role in the Cross-Straits ties. In Taiwan, many people from the industrial and business community deem Shanghai as important for the leading role Shanghai plays in the mainland’s reform and opening-up. Thus Han Zheng’s visit to Taiwan has sparked imaginations; some even suggest “a tale of two cities,” Shanghai and Taipei.

The story not only exposes the fact of the backstage Cross-Straits exchanges in the past, but also refers to the current situation and the future. I think that an important reason why people have so many imaginations is because the exchanges between Shanghai and Taipei can be the precedent of future economic and trade, cultural, and social exchanges between the two sides.

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